Unforeseen, page 5
Before I had much more time to dwell on the fact that I was lying in a hotel room asking my deceased wife permission to kiss a girl, I heard Maddy cry out from her crib beside me.
“Right there, Baby,” I said, slipping my feet out from underneath the covers.
Before I’d even rolled out of bed, her whimpers became full-blown sobs.
Flipping on the light, I saw Maddy standing in her crib, tears streaming down her reddened face.
“Daddy’s here, Baby,” I said, trying to soothe her. “Did you have a bad dream?”
“No,” she cried, shaking her head. “I miss Mommy.”
I swallowed back my own feelings before responding, “I know, Baby. I miss her too.” Maddy was still so young. I wasn’t even sure what she remembered about Alyssa. Her confession definitely caught me off guard. She hadn’t mentioned Alyssa in months, and I didn’t often bring her up. I’d decided that I would wait until Maddy was older, and would better understand what had happened rather than just further confusing her now.
I had a feeling spending the day with Cass and Kaity stirred up some of her memories. Listening to Kaity call Cass “Mom,” must’ve triggered something inside her. Was this the sign that I’d asked Alyssa for? Maybe? But what did it even mean?
“I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me here, Short Stack,” I said under my breath.
“Daddy, can I sweep with you?” Maddy asked, wiping her damp cheek against my T-shirt.
“Sure, but don’t wipe your snotty nose against me again, Silly Girl,” I laughed. “I think as a punishment, the tickle monster is going to get you,” I added, tickling her sides.
“Daddy, Daddy! That tickles,” she yelled between laughs.
Her laughter was infectious. Just like her mother’s.
We both crawled into bed, my daughter snuggling into my side. That’s the last thing I remember before sleep finally claimed us both.
“I should probably head home. I have a midterm in my corporate law course next week and I haven’t even begun to study,” Alyssa said as the movie she’d picked came to an end. Whom was I kidding? I didn’t even know what the movie was about or who starred in it. We’d spent most of the last two hours cuddled together on the floor making out like horny teenagers.
“Anything I can say to change your mind?” I asked, batting my eyes.
She giggled, “Why do you have to be so damn cute?”
“Cute? You just think I’m cute? Puppies are cute, Lys! I’m a man. I should be rugged and sexy!” I joked.
“You’re right. You’re so dreamy and hunky,” she tittered.
“I’ll get you for that!” I screamed, as I rolled on top of her, pinning her to the floor.
“Blake, get up! I really need to get going,” she laughed. Her laughter only intensified as I grabbed her sides and began tickling her. “Oh my god. Stop! I’m going to pee my pants!” After a few torturous minutes, she squirmed her way on top of me. We both came to a halt when we realized the position we’d put ourselves in. We’d only been on a few dates, and although I was ready to take things to the next level, I didn’t want to pressure Alyssa into anything.
“I’m sorry, Lys. I was just trying to have some fun. If I crossed the line, I apologize,” I said, looking up into her eyes. I wanted her to see my sincerity–how much she really meant to me.
“It’s OK, Blake. I know you were trying to behave. You may have failed, but I’ll give you an A for effort,” she winked. “And, as much as I don’t want to end this tonight, I really do need to get going.”
“I understand. Can I see you again soon?” I asked.
“Of course. I’ll call you after my exam, and we can meet up. Maybe we can finish what we started here tonight,” she flirted.
This woman was going to be the death of me and I was only twenty-two years old. “Don’t make any promises you can’t keep, Alyssa,” I growled.
“Don’t worry, Blake. I don’t,” she sassed, as she got up and gathered her purse and coat. “Next time.”
I woke up just as the sun began peeking through the curtains. I’d spent the entire night alternating between dreams of Alyssa and Cassidy. My mind was at war with my heart, and I was definitely in the middle of a losing battle.
Rolling over onto my side, I was startled to see my daughter awake and staring back at me.
“Morning, Baby Girl. Daddy didn’t know you were already awake over there,” I said, reaching over to grab Maddy’s little pinky finger. “You were so quiet.”
“I was letting you sweep, Dadda. You wooked tired.”
“Thank you, Maddy. Daddy feels much better now. Are you hungry?”
“Yes, pancakes, please. With wots and wots of syrup.”
“Well then, let’s get your brother up, and we’ll go get you an order of fluffy pancakes with extra syrup,” I said, kissing her on the cheek.
I’d bundled the kids into their winter gear and stuffed them into the back seat of the SUV I’d borrowed from Rich. I probably should’ve called Cass this morning, but I wasn’t sure what I’d say after my fitful night of sleep. After a short drive to the local diner, I was unloading the kids when I heard a familiar voice come up from behind.
“Well if it isn’t Blake Mitchell,” Brooke beamed. “I thought we would’ve heard from you yesterday. I only knew you’d made it to town because one of our cars was missing.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. We were all a little tired and Ben wasn’t feeling well so we decided to stay at the hotel for most of the day,” I lied.
“Daddy, can we go swedding again?” Maddy interjected, pulling on the side of my leg.
Brooke eyed me suspiciously before turning to Maddy. “When did you go sledding, sweetheart?”
“Back in New York before we left,” I shouted, not allowing Maddy a chance to answer.
“No, Daddy. We swedded here. Member?” Maddy insisted.
“Crazy kids. They say the darndest things,” I laughed.
“Uh huh,” Brooke said. “Whatever you say, Blake. What do you say you buy me breakfast? I’m meeting Cass and her daughter here in a few minutes.”
I laughed under my breath, “We wouldn’t want to intrude on girl time. We’ll just get a booth in the corner. You won’t even know we’re here.”
“Nonsense. Besides, I know you’ve been trying to reach Cass. This would be the perfect time,” she winked.
“I don’t know, Brooke. And, what would Rich say about you trying to play matchmaker?” I joked.
“What Rich doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Besides, you owe me breakfast for borrowing one of my cars.”
“Fine, you win,” I laughed. “Lead the way.”
As we walked into the diner, I noticed Cass already sitting in a booth toward the rear of the restaurant. Her blond hair cascading over a bright red sweater. Sitting with her back to us, she seemed startled when I approached from behind.
“Fancy meeting you here, Miss Carpenter,” I said, placing my hand on her shoulder.
“Blake,” she said, nervously. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here. I don’t mean to be rude, but we’re meeting Brooke here, and I still don’t think it’s appropriate for her to see us together.”
“Too late for that, Cass. She already saw us in the parking lot. She’s the one who invited us to eat with you guys,” I said, pointing toward Brooke, who was making her way toward us.
“Wait, what?” Cass asked, sounding alarmed.
“Don’t worry,” I whispered. “I didn’t tell her about yesterday. Our secret is still safe–for now.”
“Hey, Cass!” Brooke said, bending over to place a peck on her friend’s cheek. “I assume Blake told you that I invited them to eat breakfast with us?” she asked, scooting into the booth next to Cass and Kaity as I took the opposite side with Maddy and Ben.
“Yep, he sure did,” Cass said, sarcasm evident in her voice.
“Hi Maddy! Hi Ben!” Kaity beamed.
“Kaity, you’ve met Maddy and Ben?” Brooke asked curiously.
Without giving Kaity a chance to respond, Cass interrupted her daughter, “Yeah, they met at the wedding.”
I internally groaned at her admission knowing that my children weren’t at Brooke and Rich’s wedding. “Blake’s kids weren’t at my wedding,” Brooke responded.
“What? Oh, what I meant was just that Kaity has seen pictures of them at your place. That’s all.”
“No, Mommy! I met them yesterday, remember!” Kaity piped up.
Biting down on her lip, Cass turned and glared at her daughter.
“You two saw each other yesterday?” Brooke questioned, suspiciously. “Blake, I thought you stayed back at the hotel all day because Ben wasn’t feeling well?”
How was I going to get myself out of this one? “You’re right. You caught us. We ran into Cass and Kaity at the pharmacy that’s all,” I explained.
“Swedding Dadda, swedding!” Maddy yelled.
Shit! These kids were going to give us away. “Yes, Baby. We’ll go sledding after breakfast,” I said. “She’s been begging to go sledding ever since we got here,” I laughed, addressing Brooke.
“Uh huh,” Brooke said, not seemingly convinced with our explanation. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I suppose I’ll let it go for now. Just know, I do know that you two are hiding something from me, and I’ll figure it out later.”
Finishing our breakfast, the kids and I left the girls alone for some chitchat–or whatever it is that women do when they’re alone. Do their nails? Brush their hair? Talk about their upcoming visit to the pussy doctor? Who the fuck knows, really. It was an unfathomable mystery that men would never understand.
Before pulling out into traffic, I shot Cass a quick message to apologize for leaving her alone to suffer through Brooke’s interrogation.
Blake: I’m sorry I left you alone. I hope she isn’t being too hard on you.
Cass: Yeah, you’re an asshole, lol. Luckily Kaity had to use the bathroom so I was able to escape her for a few more minutes. I have no idea what to tell her. I feel horrible lying to my best friend and right in front of my daughter! I’m a horrible mother!
Blake: You’re not a horrible mother. Just don’t be alarmed when your daughter turns into a lying, cheating kleptomaniac by the time she’s sixteen and you get a call to bail her out of jail.
Cass: Oh my god! Shit! I have to tell Brooke the truth. Fuck, Kaity already knows I lied. I’ve ruined my daughter. This really is all my fault!
Laughing, I realized Cass didn’t understand that I was being facetious. I suppose that’s the problem with text messages.
Blake: Cass, calm down. I was only kidding. Kaity won’t end up being a kleptomaniac, I promise. I think it’s best if you don’t tell Brooke about our date yesterday. At least until we can talk.
Cass: You’re an asshole.
Blake: You already said that. ;)
Cass: Well, it’s true.
Blake: Well this asshole would like to see you again. We’re leaving the day after Christmas. What do you say?
Cass: I need to get back out there, or Brooke will send a search party into the bathroom. I’ll let you know.
Tossing the phone into the passenger seat, I smiled, knowing she hadn’t turned me down flat this time. “We’re making progress, Miss Carpenter,” I said to myself, shifting the car into gear and pulling into traffic.
Blake
A LIGHT SNOW began to fall as I turned down Cass’s road. I sighed in relief when I saw her car in the driveway. Not having much time, I had to see her before leaving in the morning. We hadn’t seen each other since our meeting at the diner a few days earlier. After the kids and I’d spent the last few days with Rich and Brooke celebrating the holiday, it was easier than I thought it’d be to sneak away for a while. Telling them that I needed to run out and grab some diapers before our trip back, they agreed to watch the kids while I ran to the store. Yep, I continued to lie to my best friend; I was a jackass.
Debating back and forth about giving her this gift–it really did seem too soon–I wanted to pursue whatever this feeling was between us, and I didn’t see any other way. Grabbing the wrapped packages from my trunk, I made my way up to her doorstep. Before I’d even had a chance to knock, she’d opened the door.
“Hey, Blake, I didn’t expect to see you,” she said, surprise evident in her voice.
“No? Then why’d you answer the door before I’d even knocked?” I asked with a wink.
Scrunching her nose, she responded, “Because I saw you pull into my driveway. I’d been watching the snow come down. I just heard an updated forecast on the news. They’re saying we could get six inches now overnight.”
“That’s not the only thing that could give you six inches overnight,” I said under my breath.
Pretending to ignore me, her reddened cheeks betrayed her. “Well are we going to stand here all night talking about the weather, or did you want to come in?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’d like that, but I can’t actually stay for too long. Rich and Brooke think I ran to the store to grab some diapers. I wouldn’t want them to get even more suspicious than they already are. Brooke must’ve asked me fifty questions today about us,” I explained.
“Yeah, she’s given me the third degree, too,” she sighed.
“Maybe we should just tell them?” I asked, hoping she would agree.
“No! I still don’t think that’s a good idea. Besides, we just went out once, Blake. There’s nothing going on to even tell them about,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.
This girl was frustrating beyond belief. If only I could get her to open up and tell me why she was so hesitant, but if she insisted on waiting–I would wait.
“OK, if you insist,” I said, stepping into the hallway as she closed the door behind me. “How was your Christmas?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“It was nice. We just got home. Kaity and I spent the day with my parents,” she explained. “Yours? I figured you’d be busy watching your kids play with all their Christmas gifts. I’m sure Brooke spoiled them rotten. She certainly bought my daughter too much this year,” she added, her eyes darting as if I made her nervous.
“Yeah, she certainly did, but it was good for them. Last year . . . ,” I paused before continuing, swallowing back the emotion in my voice. “Last year was really difficult on all of us. We’d lost Alyssa just a few weeks before Christmas so we didn’t celebrate at all. I’m glad they could celebrate again this year with some sort of normalcy.”
“I’m sorry, Blake. I didn’t mean . . . ,” she trailed off.
“It’s fine. Don’t even worry about it. Actually, I’m here because I have a gift of my own.”
“Brooke sent you over here with another gift?”
“No, I hope I’m not being too forward, but I brought you a present.”
She stared at me, her eyes widening, “Well it hasn’t stopped you before. In fact, I’m
starting to think that ‘forward’ is really your middle name.”
“You know you’re adorable when you act angry,” I said, placing the package in her hand. “Now don’t argue with me. Just open it.”
She looked down at the brightly wrapped box for a moment before untying the silver ribbon I’d knotted around the package.
“You really didn’t have to get me anything. I feel bad because I don’t have anything for you,” she said, apologetically.
“It’s fine, Cassidy. I wasn’t expecting anything. I just really wanted to give you this. Now stop stalling and open it. That’ll be gift enough for me.”
Without saying another word, she ripped off the paper and opened the box, revealing two airline tickets.
“What are these?” she gasped.
“They’re two plane tickets,” I responded.
“I can see that, but why are you giving me plane tickets?”
“I want you and Kaity to come visit us in New York after the first of the year. I know you’re going to argue with me that it’s too soon, and you’re probably right. But, the truth is, I’m leaving in the morning, and I can’t imagine not seeing you again. I want you to see the city. See my home. See where I work. Who knows, maybe you can make some work contacts for yourself while you’re there. I’m sure some of the people in my office have contacts with some of the top fashion designers in Manhattan. They’d have to know something about wedding dresses, right?” I asked, sounding hopeful.
“Blake,” she said, interrupting me.
“Cass, please, just let me finish before turning me down,” I interjected. Before I had a chance to finish my plea, Kaity came running out from her bedroom. She was dressed in bright red leggings and what could only be described as a tacky Christmas sweater–with a light-up reindeer nose and all.
“Mommy, can we watch a Christmas movie,” Kaity asked without noticing me standing there.
“In a little bit, Baby, we have company right now.”
Looking up, Kaity beamed when she noticed me standing there.
“Hi, Blake!” she said, wrapping her arms around my waist. I only wished that Kaity’s mother had shown the same enthusiasm when I appeared at their door. “Are Maddy and Ben here,” she asked, looking behind me.
“No, Princess. They’re with their Uncle Rich and Aunt Brooke.”
She turned to Cass before responding, “Do Maddy and Ben have the same Uncle Rich and Aunt Brooke as I do?” she questioned.
“Well, kinda,” Cass began to answer. “You know what. Yeah, you do. I guess you’re cousins.”
“Oh OK,” Kaity shrugged, accepting Cass’s explanation. “Is that present for me?” she asked, noticing the package I was carrying.
“Kaitlyn! Don’t be rude,” Cass yelled.
“It’s OK, Cass. It is actually for her,” I said, handing the box over to Kaity.
“Thank you,” she mumbled as she immediately ripped into the paper revealing a stuffed New York teddy bear. “Mommy! Look! It’s just like the bear that Auntie Brooke gave me only littler! Now I have the mommy and the baby!”
